A Little Fall of Rain
by Alcandre
Summary: A routine investigation turns into something tragic. And the rain just doesn't help.  Character death A little GSR


Okay, a sad but (I think) nice little (little, right) story with a small amount of GSR. Angst...lots and lots of angst.

Side note: To all who have read and/or now reading my other fics, please forgive me. I know I should be updating Charmed Senshi and Muggle Studies but I've been VERY busy lately. I recently moved and have just gotten a computer up and running to write on. And I had to write this! It was in my head and wouldn't leave until I got it down. But don't worry, I will finish Charmed Senshi and Muggle Studies. I promise!!

I don't own CSI. If I did, I would be rich and rich I am not.

Now, oooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn with the story.

A Little Fall of Rain

It had started out as a routine investigation. She had been called towards the end of her shift about a murder downtown. Nothing new in Las Vegas but still, it was a case. She needed to find out who, what, how, and, if possible, why.

Grissom had wanted to go with her. She didn't really understand why. She had handled cases like this for years, what could happen? Famous last words, right?

It had happened in an alley; the crime that is. Some poor, unsuspecting woman was shot from behind by some unknown person with a .22. She had died instantly, no fuss or anything. But someone had heard the shot and called the police. Smart person, that. Can't have some woman lying dead in an alley. It would start to smell.

Sara and Grissom arrived to the flurry of cops and curious bystanders. They ducked under the tape and met up with Brass.

"Nothing much to look at," the homicide detective said. "Vic's name is Janis Bellan, age 35, mother of one, wife to Hector Bellan. He's here, just got here five minutes ago. Says she was visiting a friend and didn't want to drive."

"Not a safe thing to do in these neck of the woods," Sara said.

"I agree," Brass said as they reached the body. "And I think she would, too."

Sara looked over the woman's body and studied it. She was on her stomach, arms splayed out beside her. The pavement around her was still wet with her blood and her eyes remained open.

"No one's touched her?" Grissom asked, kneeling down beside the woman's body.

Brass shook his head. "Nope, as you can probably tell."

Sara knelt down beside Grissom and gently closed the woman's eyes. "I'll go talk to the husband," she said standing back up.

He nodded and set his case on its back.

Sara stole a glance at her boss and just shook her head as she walked off. He was already immersed in his work and didn't even notice that she was still there. Giving another shake of her head she made her way over to the seemingly distraught husband, who was talking to a cop and nervously biting his nails on his left hand.

"Hi, Mr. Bellan?" Sara asked when she got closer.

The average size, balding man looked up at Sara and grimaced but nodded. The cop nodded to Sara and walked off, closing his notepad.

Sara gave a slight smile to the man and studied him as she took out her own notepad. His green eyes were darting around the place and he kept licking his lips. Sweat was gathering on his upper lip and his shirt was covered in it as well.

"Sir, I'd like to ask a few questions," Sara said, getting the man's attention again.

He just nodded and continued biting his nails.

"Your wife, Janis...why did she walk to visit her friend?"

Hector just shrugged and took his hand out of his mouth. "I told her to take the car. That it was too dark and dangerous to be walking. But she didn't listen. She just shouted at me and left."

"She shouted at you?"

"Yeah, we argued. I didn't want her to go to begin with. It was too dangerous."

"Then what happened? She left..."

"I-I..." he trailed off, his eyes darting around faster.

"Mr. Bellan?" Sara asked, her eyes narrowing.

This guy was guilty. She was sure of it just by looking at him. Either he killed his wife or he knew who did.

"She just wouldn't listen," he said frantically.

"Mr. Bellan, calm down," Sara said softly.

It started raining at that point; big heavy drops that pounded onto the pavement. Shouting came from behind Sara where Janis Bellan's body was.

"Cover it! Get everything you can!" Grissom shouted through the rain.

Sara looked up into the downpour then looked back at Mr. Bellan. "Sir, why don't we move to a drier place," she said.

The man just shook his head and continued rambling. "She wouldn't listen. I had to teach her a lesson."

"Mr. Bellan," Sara said. "We need to get out of the rain."

The man's head suddenly snapped over to look at Sara. His eyes were crazy, dancing all over the place. "No, no," he said, shaking his head. "You can't leave either. No..." And that's when he pulled out the gun.

'Shit,' Sara thought when she saw the gun in his trembling hands. She glanced over to where Grissom was then back at the man.

"It isn't safe out here," the man was muttering. "You don't need to walk. Someone will hurt you."

"Sir, put the gun down," Sara said as she drew her own gun.

Mr. Bellan's eyes closed and for a second the CSI agent thought he was going to obey. But when the shot rang through the air and the blinding pain hit her in the stomach and worked its way through her body she knew, without a doubt, he hadn't listened to a word she'd said.

-----------

The noise didn't register with Grissom at first. He thought it was thunder. But it was coming from the direction Sara was in...

'In fact, that wasn't thunder,' he thought as he pulled out a bag to put the bullet that had killed Janis in. 'That was a gunshot.'

His head snapped up at that thought. 'A gunshot?'

He peered through the rain, trying to locate Sara and the husband. He was just being paranoid. Sara was fine. There was nothing to worry about.

A moving shape caught his eye and he squinted to try to see it better. "Sara?" he muttered.

----------------

It hurt. It hurt a lot. She had never hurt so much at one time. Not only did it hurt where the bullet entered but it hurt all over. It was like all of her nerve endings had exploded.

She stumbled back, her hands fluttering to her stomach. She didn't notice the policeman tackle Mr. Bellan, she didn't notice the rain start to fall harder, and she didn't notice her gun falling to the ground. She just focused on the pain racing though her body. That was all there was.

Someone was shouting. But she didn't care. That didn't matter.

Her back hit the alley wall and she slid down it, landing on the dirty ground, her hands clutched over her stomach.

That's how Grissom found her. That's what he saw. His agent sitting on the ground, her back on the wall, and her hands clutched over her stomach. For a second he thought of a little girl with a stomachache but that thought left as he saw her face.

That was no little girl. It was Sara, his Sara. And she was hurt. He could tell by just looking at her. Beyond that shocked look was a look full of pain.

He ran over to her and knelt down beside her. "Sara?"

She just blinked and slowly slid her eyes over to look at him.

"Sara, talk to me."

Her mouth opened but nothing came out. Not even the strangled sob he was expecting for some reason.

"Sara," he said again.

Her eyes closed and he saw her take a shuddering breath. When her eyes opened again, they seemed clearer and he could see the Sara he knew looking back at him.

"Gil," she said softly, surprising him by using his first name. "It hurts."

Grissom looked down at her stomach and tried to keep a neutral look on his face. It was bleeding bad. Her hands, which were still clutched over the wound, were red from her blood. And even more blood was seeping out from around her hands.

"Sir!"

Grissom looked over his shoulder at the policeman standing over him.

"We should move her under some shelter. The ambulance will be here in a second."

"No," Sara whispered.

Grissom and the cop looked over at the wounded agent with raised eyebrows.

"It's just rain," she muttered, looking away from the two men. "Just water. It can hardly hurt me now."

Grissom blinked then nodded at the policeman. "Get Brass over here. And call the others at the lab."

The cop nodded and ran off, his form disappearing into the curtain of rain.

She was tired. Really tired. And the pain was beginning to be unbearable. Why was she hurting so badly? And why was Grissom looking at her like that?

"What?" she asked softly, studying his face.

He blinked and looked away. "Nothing," he said.

"Grissom," she started. "Gil, talk to me. How is it? I know it hurts like hell but what does it look like?"

Grissom looked back at her wound and sighed. "As bad as it feels is my guess," he answered without looking up at her face.

She tried to still her shaking hands and pulled them away from the wound, feeling them drip with the blood they were covered with. She was trying to stop thinking about the pain. She felt terrible and she didn't like that. She wanted to feel like she did that morning; ready to face the world with a smile. She inwardly snorted and shook her head. And look where that attitude got her.

"Sara, it would be best for you to get out of the rain," Grissom stated after he watched her face go from pained to thoughtful then back to pained.

"No," she said again, this time giving a small shake of her head. "I'll lose more blood if I move."

"Sara," Grissom began.

"No!" Sara shouted with a strained voice. "No," she said in a quieter tone. "I'm fine right here. My guess is that I won't make it to the ambulance."

Grissom just stared at her face with shock clearly in his eyes. "But-"

Sara closed her eyes and tried to will herself to stop hurting. 'Fat lot of good that's doing,' she thought with a pained grimace.

"Sara?"

That was Brass. She knew that before she opened her eyes. His rough voice wasn't hard to miss.

She focused on him and nodded.

"The ambulance is on the way," he said, kneeling down beside Grissom, who had a shocked look still on his face.

Sara just blinked. What did it matter? She was losing too much blood.

Brass gave an encouraging smile then turned to the still silent Grissom. "I'm going out to the street to direct the paramedics to her. You stay here."

He left, leaving the two by themselves again.

------------------

He was worried. Very worried. Sara looked terrible. And Brass had seen shot and bleeding people before. But this time was different. It was Sara! The Sara he had grown to know and love like a daughter.

He knew in his gut that she wasn't going to make it. But he was trying to think positively. He had to be optimistic.

'But it's so hard, dammit.'

---------------------

Grissom couldn't say anything. His throat was too choked up. Sara had been shot. And she was in pain.

"Gris," she muttered. Her bloody right hand reached out toward him. "Don't leave me."

He blinked and grabbed her hand, not noticing the small single tear run down his face.

"I won't, Sara," he got out. "I'm right here."

----------------

It was getting darker. But that could have been just because of the rain.

Sara blinked, trying to clear her vision. It didn't work; everything was still a little blurry and dark.

She felt Grissom's hand tighten around hers and she gave a small smile. He was finally beside her.

She shivered slightly; not really noticing the rain anymore, just his hand. "Gris, I'm sorry."

"About what?" he asked, his face coming into focus as he moved closer to her.

"I was shot. I should have seen it coming."

"No," he said forcefully. "We were all caught off guard. Don't apologize."

She smiled then took a shuttering breath. "Just make sure you find a good replacement for me."

"Don't talk that way," Grissom said. "You're going to make it."

Sara gave something that resembled a laugh. "Look at the evidence, Grissom. I'm bleeding profusely, I'm probably pale as a ghost, I hurt like hell, and I'm freezing cold. What does all this tell you?"

Grissom felt his heart sink. She was right. She was dying. And they both knew it.

"And you know what?" she said softly. "I'm scared."

"Why?" he choked out.

"I don't know what's going to happen when I die. In life, I felt like I knew everything. I could tell you anything about any crime scene you needed to know. But in death, what will happen? Where will I go? What will I do? I mean, will I be a CSI angel?"

He gave a grim smile and shook his head. "You'd be a damn good one if you were."

She grinned. "Thanks." She seemed to want to say more but started coughing. Her hand went up to her mouth as habit. And it seemed to hurt her even more. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her forehead was wrinkled in pain.

"Sara?" he asked softly, squeezing her hand a little more.

She stopped coughing and opened her eyes. "It hurts so much, Gil."

"I know, Sara. I know."

------------------------

The call came when she was leaving the lab. She couldn't wait to get home to see Lindsey. But the ringing of her phone made her pause. She grabbed her phone and looked down at the ID. It was one of the policemen that worked with Brass.

"Willows," she said into the phone.

"Catherine, something's happened. Grissom wanted me to call you and the others."

"What happened?" she asked, her heart starting to beat faster.

There was a pause. "Sara's been shot."

Her heart stopped. She was sure she was hearing things.

"Excuse me?"

"Sara's been shot, Catherine."

It finally hit her. Sara's been shot. Sara's been shot.

"Oh my God!" It came from her mouth without her realizing. The only thing going through her head was that Sara, the young woman that had made her way into Catherine's heart, had been shot while doing the job she loved so much.

"Where are you?"

"The alley between Jack's Temple and High Roller on Bonanza Way. You can't miss the police cars."

"Alright, I'll call the others and be there in a second."

She hung up without waiting for an answer. Her hand shook as she dialed Warrick's number.

'Oh, God. Why did this happen?'

-----------------------

He just sat down on his sofa when his cell phone rang. He sighed and answered with his usual "Brown."

"Warrick, it's Catherine."

Something in her voice told him she wasn't happy. In fact, she sounded frantic. The first thing that he thought of was that something had happened to Lindsey.

"Cath, what is it?"

"It's Sara."

He sat up straighter. "What?"

"She and Grissom were investigating a murder and Sara got shot."

Warrick blinked in shock. He felt his breath catch in his throat and his chest felt like a vice was squeezing mercilessly. He didn't hear anything else that Catherine said. He just kept seeing Sara.

"_You see this, Warrick?"_

"_Yep, nice, full print. This guy left us a beauty."_

"_Maybe we should thank him when we see him."_

"_Maybe."_

That had been just two nights ago when he and Sara had been working on a robbery together. Sara was like a sister to him. He loved her so much and couldn't imagine working without her.

"I'm on my way," he said into his phone. "Call Nick. He needs to hear from you."

As he hung up and started putting on his shoes, he felt like a weight was pressing down on him.

'Why did this happen to her?'

-----------------------

He was at the grocery store picking up some bread when his phone rang. Glancing at the ID he just gave a small smile then answered.

"Nick, "Catherine started.

"Catherine, what is it?" he asked before she got any further. She sounded very upset. Her voice had that tone in it that told him that she was close to tears.

There was a pause and Nick could hear the older woman take a deep breath. "Sara's been shot."

He almost dropped his phone. But the look he got from the middle aged man in the aisle made him stop his reflexes. He quickly walked out of the aisle and onto the snack food aisle.

"Sara's been shot?" he asked in disbelief. "When?"

"Not too long ago," Catherine said.

"Where?"

Catherine told him and he promised he'd be there soon. When he hung up he looked down at the loaf of bread in his hand, threw it on the nearest shelf, and ran out the doors, not even noticing the stares he received from the other customers and the few cashiers.

'How did this happen?'

--------------------

'Where are the paramedics?' Grissom thought. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping to see the men in white and red jackets. But none were coming. No one was behind him.

He turned back to Sara when he felt her grip on his hand tighten. "Sara?"

"Are the others coming?"

He nodded then realized that she probably couldn't make out much with that dazed look in her eyes. "Yeah, they're on their way."

"I don't have long, Gris."

"Shh, just relax," he said as he brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes.

"That's the thing," she said, licking her lips. "I am relaxed." She blinked, as if trying to clear her vision then frowned. "It still hurts but I don't feel like I'm really here now." She paused and he watched as her eyes moved, as if looking for something. "And I can't see a damn thing."

He gave a very small grin but it faded soon after. "Don't try so hard. Just close your eyes."

"I don't want to," she said. "It's too dark with my eyes closed. At least with them open I can see a little light." She slowly brought her other bloodied hand up to Grissom's cheek. "And I can see you." She swallowed and took her hand down. "Sorry," she muttered. "That was random."

Grissom had to agree with that but he didn't say it out loud. And he didn't object to the short but wonderful moment when her hand was on his cheek.

She gave a small gasp and her hand clutched into a fist. "God, it hurts." She coughed again then slowly brought her eyes back over to Grissom. "Gris, I've been wanting to tell you something for a long time but I've never really felt ready." She seemed to look past him for a second then met his eyes again. "And after you turned me down on the dinner invitation I really didn't feel ready. But I guess if I don't say it now it won't ever get said." She licked her lips again and slipped her hand out of his. "I love you." She turned her head away from him, avoiding his gaze. "I have for the longest time."

He opened his mouth to reply but she stopped him.

"And no, it's not just a crush. Believe me, I know it's not a crush. Crushes don't last for 10 years."

"Sara," he began.

She just shook her head. "I love you, Gil. And I always have. You make life interesting."

"Not as interesting as you do," he said quickly.

She blinked, surprised by his remark then gave a small, shaky smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good," he said, taking her hand back in his. "Because it is."

That's when the end started. Right at that moment. For years to come, Grissom would always wonder if he was to blame. He would wonder if he had just told her then how he felt she would have stayed.

It all happened in slow motion. Or so it seemed to the CSI supervisor. Sara's breathing grew more labored; the rain started letting up. It all went downhill from there.

Sara sliding her eyes over to his; the sad smile that spread across her face; the sound of her last breath leaving her body, and the feel of her hand growing limp as she died, leaving him alone in the alley in the rain.

He heard sirens in the background and someone running toward him. He didn't turn around. He didn't need to. They were all too late. Sara was dead. She was dead. He was too late. They were too late. Everyone was too late.

"Grissom."

He looked up from Sara's lifeless body and met Catherine's eyes. They were red rimmed and her face was flushed.

"She's gone, Catherine. She left me," he said as he looked back down at Sara. "I didn't even have the chance to tell her how I felt."

Catherine knelt down beside her boss, put an arm around his shoulders, and wiped her eyes. "She knew, Gil. Don't worry about that. She knew."

The End

That's it. No more. No sequel. And yes, she is dead. She will not be coming back. And if I get flames about how I'm a jerk for killing Sara I will not be happy. Seriously. In fact, you will probably get an email from me. And it won't be a nice "How are you" email.

Sara's my favorite character. I didn't kill her because I hate her. So, no flames...just constructive criticism. And I do love reviews full of praise and happiness. So, review, people, and I will love you forever!!!


End file.
